Sixty-Five
by Ro Nordmann
Summary: Sixty-five days…That's how long it has been. It took only two weeks for the our town to lose everything that matters. We had to abandon our home, our belongings, our way of life. Others tried to stay behind, but it was futile in the end. Write-Me-A-Story HG Challenge OneWeek Round 4


**Write-Me-A-Story | HG Challenge | OneWeek | Round 4 **

**Word Count: 1,645**

**Rating: M**

**Pairing: Everlark | Hayhanna**

**Fandom Universe: Hunger Games meets The Walking Dead**

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><p>Sixty-five days…<p>

That's how long it has been. It took only two weeks for the our town to lose everything that matters. We had to abandon our home, our belongings, our way of life. Others tried to stay behind, but it was futile in the end.

What little we had, wasn't enough to comfort us. I keep saying it will get better, it has to. This can't be the end of the human race. Katniss stares at nothing, while our baby girl clings to me. Haymitch hasn't return yet from his hunting/foraging expedition in the vicinity with Johanna as his partner. Those two will probably will be the only ones left after every single person is dead.

A simple cord with clanking beer cans surrounds our camp, it acts as our security measure. Gale pretends to be on watch, but I can see from here he has fallen asleep. The man gets on my nerves every time we need to make a decision. He knows best, he can protect the group better than anyone else. While in my mind I think of his poor girlfriend, the one he left behind to be eaten-

"Peeta? I need to pee. Please watch Rue. Don't let her out of your sight. Remember what happened last time. I can't take one more scare. I'll be quick."

I simply nod back, exasperated with her nagging attitude. She acts like this apocalypse is somehow my fault. I caress my revolver, the only thing left from my father. It has kept us safe and it will continue to do so. Gale snorts and I stare back.

Fucking prick.

As if I don't know he wishes some biter take a piece of me and give him free access to my wife. Over my dead body is not the right response.

Cans start to clank giving us the signal someone has breached our perimeter.

Gale jumps and I react by holding Rue by side, with my gun at the ready. I try to keep calm. It must be Haymitch dragging his kill. Please let it be Haymitch…Only it's not. A group of six walkers have followed our scent and are completely ravenous.

"DADDY! MOMMY!"

Rue panics and tries to run, forcing me to take my eyes from the impending danger.

"RUE! Stay here!"

I don't see Katniss and I can't think. I can hear the moans and the squelching sound of the knife penetrating the skull of a walker.

"A little help would be nice, Mellark. If you don't help we'll be overrun in the next five-seconds. Where is Mason when you need her? Fuck!"

I was too late.

A sneaky biter without legs had dragged itself under the others and found weakness in our defenses. It had bitten Gale in the calf. He looks at me and nods. It means I have to take Rue with me, find Katniss and run like hell. Rue is sobbing and trying to pull me back. I wanted to use the gun, but it would only bring more of the dead towards us assuring then our death.

"We need to go, baby. Hold me tight."

Gale kept killing walkers, giving us a chance to escape. I ran with Rue in my arms in the direction I saw Katniss go. Under my breath, I curse her fucking bladder and its inopportune time to act up.

"Please God…let me find my wife. Let us get out of this nightmare. Let me live another day."

So concerned with my pleading with God, I miss a rock in the way and fall. Rue screams her lungs out, announcing our location to survivors and the dead alike. The pain pulsates but I don't have time. My heart is beating out of my chest and I gulp air into my lungs striving for the strength I don't have.

"Shh, baby. You're all right. Daddy's got you. We are going to find Mommy and we'll find Uncle Haymitch and Aunty Johanna. No need to be scared."

Rue glared at my lame attempt to comfort her. She wasn't stupid and not that little anymore to believe my words. Besides, she was Katniss' daughter through and through.

The snap of a branch alerts me to something close by. There's not much visibility as the sun has started to descend. Walking this woods at night is a sure way to get yourself killed or eaten. I need to find shelter. I stumble and lean against a trunk with Rue strangling me with her arms. I throw caution and take my revolver. Whatever is lurking will get a bullet between the eyes. The click of the safety echoes in my head. Nothing else registers, as if the world has gone silent.

Another snap to my right and I wait.

An arrow flies just inches from my face and kills a biter. I hear it drop to the ground. Rue hides her face against my neck. I look in the direction of the arrow and see as my wife comes to us.

"You were almost dead meat. I'm sorry I had to step out. I put Gale out of his misery. You missed the moment. He confessed his undying love for me and how much he hated your guts and hoped you'd be walker feed before him. I told him to drop dead. We both laughed and said goodbye."

I shook my head, "Only you, Katniss. We need to move. I see you saved some of our provisions. Hopefully, Haymitch can tract us and find us wherever we find refuge." She gets close and checks on Rue, kissing her on the forehead. I smile and treasure the moment, not knowing how long I'll have them. She turns to me and kisses me on the lips.

"Let's go."

Katniss finds an abandoned hunting shack, much like her father's. In it we find some bottled water and pork and beans. It is the best we could hope for. Rue tries to sleep, but every once in a while she jumps and needs her mother to console her.

"I don't know how much of this she can take. I don't see an end soon to this…Maybe we should-"

"Don't. You make a promise now. We will live for as long as we can. We endure. We survive. We don't opt out and expect forgiveness from God. I love you, Katniss and I love our daughter. We have each other and that's all that matters to me. I'll protect us and you'll protect us. Don't let Gale's death be in vain."

She rubbed her eyes and stared at the sole dirty window. I knew what she was hoping for. It was the same thing I was. "We need to rest. I'll take the first shift, then I'll wake you." She nodded in acquiescence and lied down beside our daughter.

-:-

I count the cans for the third time. I check the bullets on my revolver. I pay attention to my wife and daughter's breathing. But still my eyes are drooping. You need to stay awake. Fuck, I need coffee. I miss it and fresh bread. Hot showers and morning sex. Thinking about sex reminds of the last time Katniss and I sneaked a quickie while Johanna watched over Rue.

A scratching noise from outside warns me we are not alone anymore. I touch Katniss and she wakes immediately. She looks at Rue and then at me, "Is it a walker?" I shake my head. I can see the panic lurking in her grey eyes. We won't be able to escape a herd with only two of us armed.

A knocking and then a giggle is all we hear. I sigh knowing we are safe.

"Are you in there, Brainless? Think we have forgotten you and left you to die in this godforsaken woods? Not a chance, I love my niece too much to leave her at the mercy of you both."

-:-

By morning we are having a feast thanks to the hunting skills of Abernathy and company. Haymitch takes another swig of moonshine he found in his scavenging. "You need some loosening up, drink up!" I take a sip and regret it immediately. "Pussy." "Language, 'Mitch." He shrugs, "In this world, we have to take what we have, man. I'll do my part and hope I die saving your asses. I hear Gale did just that. Poor bastard, ain't karma a bitch. He leaves Madge behind to follow Katniss and all it gets him is be feed for the biters. We met more small groups of the dead. Any living thing gets torn and eaten. We need to keep moving and find a place we can stay longer than a few hours. Take another swig and I'll see where on the map to try next."

Rue gives a shy smile to Johanna, as she gets her more meat to eat. Katniss joins them.

"Why did you take so long? Wasn't that what happened yesterday when you got overrun? You can't take that long to pee for fuck's sake."

Katniss blushes and tries to shush Johanna. Finally she's fed up, "I got my period okay! Thank God, I did. For a few days I thought I was pregnant and that wasn't going to be good news." I choke on my drink and Haymitch starts to hit me hard on my back, as Johanna stares mouth open at my wife.

"Mommy, what's a period?"

We all burst laughing and Rue gives us a toothy grin.

Please God, give me sixty-five more days…


End file.
